Last year a description of the life and work of the apostle Paul was published. Of course, his missionary work was dealt with extensively. In a short period, people came to faith and in various places congregations were established. What was the secret behind this? Can we speak of a very successful method for missionary work of Paul? And what did that method look like then? A number of elements from that description will come to the fore in this article. I will also address the question of what we can learn from Paul in our mission and evangelism work.

Did Paul have a mission plan? Had a course of action been worked out, for instance, with the church in Antioch? And was the execution of this plan evaluated on a regular basis? Whoever is going to look for such information in the New Testament will not find that. We do, however, find a description of all kinds of events in Paul’s work, but this description is far from complete. Neither do we read anything regarding a possible mission strategy or an elaborate plan of action for mission. Below follows some information from which we can deduce something about Paul’s method.

Not a Sending Church⤒🔗

Paul’s first missionary journey begins in Antioch. We tend to think of a sending church that had developed a plan and, in that framework, sends two missionaries, Paul and Barnabas. Yet something different happens in Acts 13. While a number of brothers and sisters in Antioch are fasting and praying, the Holy Spirit speaks through a prophet: “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” The initiative does not come from a missionary church, but from the Holy Spirit. The Spirit had already called these two men for this work earlier. Then we read further in this chapter that the congregation let them go. They are not sent by the congregation but made available to the Holy Spirit. In Paul’s later journeys, we still do not read about an organized connection to a sending church.

The Spirit Opens Doors←⤒🔗

The guidance of the Spirit is characteristic of the path that Paul took as an apostle. He often made decisions in connection with his missionary work based on visions he received. Back from their first missionary journey, Paul and Barnabas “declared all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles” (Acts 14:27). God showed the way and gave the opportunities for the preaching of the gospel. Sometimes the Spirit prevented them from carrying out their plans. This happened, for instance, during the second missionary journey, when he wanted to go to Bithynia, in order to preach there (Acts 16:6-7). All kinds of impediments were what caused Paul to finally arrive in Greece. In a vision, Paul sees a man from Macedonia, a representative of the Greek culture, that was spread out everywhere and dominated everything. Many believing Jews were secularized under influence of this culture. Paul, originally a Pharisee, meets, in this Macedonian man, as it were, his powerful spiritual opponent. This man cries out for help…. The most influential culture needs Christ! Paul, familiar with visions, draws his conclusion, and travels to Greece.

Strength and Weakness←⤒🔗

Characteristic in Paul’s conduct was his vulnerability, his weakness. That contrasted strongly with the power of the Holy Spirit that he was allowed to demonstrate. As a preacher of the gospel, Paul suffered a lot. He was stoned, driven away, ridiculed, beaten and scourged, jeered at. He was shipwrecked three times. He suffered hunger, thirst, cold, sleepless nights. He knew the fear of death. Paul’s actions were not such that one would say, The people hung on his lips; he did not come with beautiful words. He did not have an impressive appearance. On the other hand, he was allowed to do signs and miracles—even in such a way that heathen sorcerers were overpowered. Bar-Jesus, a magician on the island of Salamis, who wanted to thwart Paul’s missionary work, was struck with blindness. The “magical” power that was admired everywhere in those times was put on display. In that way it happened more often, that the weak Paul could perform mighty signs and miracles. After a stoning and declaration of his death in Lystra, Paul gets up and, just as before, people see him walking by once again. The residents of this city regard Barnabas and Paul to be Zeus and Hermes. As a prisoner on the way to Rome, Paul spent some time on the island of Malta. There he survives the bite of a poisonous snake.

Different←⤒🔗

It is always surprising that Paul’s own weakness and suffering remained visible next to the impressive miracles. In that way, he was different from what the people expected. Magicians were people with power. They asserted themselves and did not tolerate opposition. Fearing divine retribution, the people did not dare to do anything against them. By suffering persecution and pain, Paul distinguished himself from these magicians. He apparently did not do it for his own fame and honour, but for his Lord. In Paul’s life we recognize the image of Jesus Christ. Jesus too performed powerful miracles. He helped and healed people. At the same time, weakness and suffering were characteristic of his life. He was not the famous king who would straighten things out at lightning speed, thinking in earthly terms. He suffered misjudgment, opposition, and growing hatred: his road of suffering ended in a horrible death on the cross. The preacher notices that the gospel collides violently with the hard hearts of the people. At the same time the Lord proves the power of the gospel through signs and miracles. God’s kingdom breaks through everything, despite the weakness of the messenger!

He Himself as a Living Example←⤒🔗

Another aspect of Paul’s conduct is connected with this. In the Greek world, you made an impression when you presented your message in a professional way. Paul refused that. He did not charge anything for his actions. He was a tentmaker: an artisan who provided for his own bread and butter. How could he have been appreciated in the Greek world of that time, in which you became popular and received esteem only with a new philosophy, wealth, and reputation? Paul deliberately separates himself from others. As a rule, he did not ask for financial support from the congregations. He did not allow himself to be paid for the miracles he was allowed to do; Paul worked hard, so as not to have to appeal to anyone (1 Thessalonians 2:9). In this too, he was a living example of the gospel. In the Greek world full of ambition and pride, Paul shows the humility, selflessness, and personal commitment of Christ’s love. He seems to be submerged in such a world in which everything has to be big. But he clears a new way: the way of following Christ.

The Message←⤒🔗

An important question regarding Paul’s apostleship is the following: When he began with his preaching in a city, what was his message? How did he bring the gospel into the Greek world? Although we do not receive a complete picture of this, we can still get a good impression through all kinds of details. Especially Paul’s oldest epistles, those to the newly established congregation in Thessalonica, give us good understanding.

We notice that in these letters Paul refers to the basic instruction the Thessalonians had received from him. The following elements can be discovered. The gospel is not just a word but was accompanied with power and works of the Spirit. Something happened. People came to faith; miracles were observed. Paul also emphasizes that oppression is part of faith. Gentiles who came to faith met fierce opposition from their surroundings. Part of following Jesus is letting go of your old life and embracing, instead, the expectation of a heavenly kingdom. Christian life must be governed by faith, hope, and love, of which love is central (1 Thessalonians 1:3; 4:9-10). Paul also taught that the believers must abide by what they had received: Paul’s letters and oral instruction. That instruction contains important points: sanctification of life, God’s judgment over our sin, the duty to work for your own living, expecting Christ’s return, and being aware of the work of Satan. Finally, Paul focused on appointing elders—responsible leaders in the congregation.

Paul’s missionary work was focused on planting new churches based on the teachings of the apostles. In a culture filled with paganism and Caesar worship, Paul called on Christians to live holy lives before another Ruler, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Care from a Distance←⤒🔗

Paul travelled a lot for his missionary journeys. He never tied himself to a new congregation by living there permanently, or by visiting annually. The churches he established were not depending on him. His epistles show that he offered pastoral care from a distance. Paul continued to preach the gospel, also while he travelled on to other congregations. He then wrote letters. Even when he was taken prisoner to appear before the emperor in Rome, he continued to write, but not to bind the congregations to him. That would have been difficult because Paul could suddenly die.

In connection with this, it is striking how many fellow workers Paul had assembled around him. Think of Priscilla and Aquila. In his letters Paul mentions far more names of fellow workers (see Romans 16). These people continued the preaching and they were also important for the contact between Paul and the churches. Shortly before his death Paul, as a prisoner, wrote his second letter to Timothy. In that letter it is clear that a number of fellow workers had severed their ties with Paul. Some did that “out of love for the world” (2 Timothy 4:10); apparently, as followers of Christ, they could not handle the tribulations.

In this last letter Paul describes how he sees the future of Timothy as his fellow worker. He must ensure the continuation of the preaching and faith. Timothy must continue to equip reliable people with what has been entrusted to him so that these people can instruct others in the future. As faithful workers of Christ, Paul sees people with a sincere faith, a spirit of strength, love, and level headedness. Paul warns against pride, errors, and worldliness.

So what Paul does is bind his fellow workers to the gospel. He does not bind them to him. He summons them to be ready to suffer as good soldiers of Jesus Christ (2 Timothy 2:3). He knows also that fellow workers may disappoint, even quit. But Paul continued to keep heart. For the solid foundation of Christ stands unshakable with this mark: that the Lord knows who are his (2 Timothy 2:19)!

Old and New Congregations←⤒🔗

In this last part I want to consider how Paul saw the relationship between the congregations in Jerusalem and Antioch on the one side, and the new congregations on the other. Did he build a church organization? Did the new congregations remain dependent on a “mother congregation” for a long time?

There certainly was a relationship and connection. The congregations in Antioch and in Achaia (2 Corinthians 8-9) collected money for the brothers in Judea when there was famine and poverty. Paul clearly expresses the spiritual relationship: “For if the Gentiles have come to share in their spiritual blessings, they ought also to be of service to them in material blessings” (Romans 15:27). In the reverse direction:  Barnabas is sent from Jerusalem when it becomes known that Greeks came to faith in Antioch (Acts 11:22). The new congregations in Asia Minor also knew themselves to be related and connected to the congregation in Antioch. On his return from his first missionary journey, Paul reported about his experiences, and the newly converted Christians knew about it. Still, Paul did not establish a clerical organization with Jerusalem or Antioch as “mother church” into which the new congregations were inserted. We read that Paul appointed elders in every congregation and then commends them to the Lord under fasting and prayer (Acts 14:23). The congregation is above all things a local, independent congregation and not embedded into a larger organizational connection.

Summary and Reflection←⤒🔗

In a few points I want to summarize what we have looked at.

1. Paul was not employed by a missionary church to carry out a missionary project but was released by Antioch for the service of God. In his work he especially followed the guidance of the Holy Spirit; his own intentions and plans were subordinate to that.
    
2. In his position Paul did not seek his own honour; he wanted to be an example of Jesus Christ and in his following of him, he was ready to suffer. In his presentation, the powerful miracles that the Spirit caused him to perform coincided in a wonderful way with a humble appearance.
    
3. From his letters to the Thessalonians we can deduce what Paul’s first instructions to the Gentiles must have been. This instruction was aimed at the making of a choice. Paul was also focused on being concretely followers of Christ as king in a heathen environment. A Christian expects to receive power and happiness from him, and not from idols and the associated sacrificial service.
    
4. Paul involved many fellow workers; he did not bind them to him, but to the gospel. Through them, he maintained contact with the congregations, and worked at continuity in preaching and faith.
    
5. The apostle did not organize a church federation but established independent local congregations under the leadership of elders and commended them to the Lord.

Reflecting on the life of Paul, we see elements in which he was unique. He could perform miracles through the power of the Spirit; he received visions. We cannot just expect the same. But that does not mean that we would not be able to learn from Paul’s work as an apostle.

Distinguishing←⤒🔗

Paul’s message placed the people before a choice. In a heathen world Paul preached a different Lord, the expectation of a different kingdom. In that kingdom, completely different laws (for instance, serving instead of pride and ambition) were in force than in the Greek world of that time. He looked for things in common in the thinking of the time (for example, emperor worship) and at the same time indicated the drastic difference. In a materialistic world in which everybody is looking for happiness, a Christian does not look for his happiness in money and things, but in Jesus Christ. In a world of “every man for himself,” a Christian is concerned about his neighbour. The worship of God precedes seeking one’s own honour. How do we, in the preaching of the gospel, place people who do not yet know the Lord before clear choices?

It is of utmost importance that Christians, like Paul, are an example of the gospel. Calls for self-denial and soberness sound incredible when we as Christians do not practice those qualities in our own lives. The way in which Paul himself was a living example of his message is pervasive and confronting.

Dependent←⤒🔗

Paul’s dependence on the Lord and the Holy Spirit is instructive in many aspects. He was fully aware that the Lord was directing his life. The openness for the directions of the Spirit urges us to reflection, prone as we are to being in charge ourselves with action plans and organization. That holds when it involves choices we have to make in our personal lives and also in dealing with missionary work. When our intentions cannot be realized, we quickly see that as disappointments, whereas the Spirit might possibly want to point us in a different direction.

Instructive too is Paul’s deep dependence on the Spirit when he leaves the newly converted Christians and their congregation after a short time, and entrusts them to the Spirit. With him there is no talk of a new congregation remaining dependent on a sending church for years. They did remain in contact. Via fellow workers, Paul tried to ensure the progress of preaching and faith. But the most important thing is that the Spirit continues to be active in the congregation, and that therefore Paul can travel on. This open-mindedness raises the questions of whether congregations of newly converted people should remain dependent on sending churches, sometimes for years.

In Conclusion←⤒🔗

Whoever studies the missionary work of Paul will be amazed by the power of the Spirit and the greatness of God’s love. What miracles happened! What speed there was in the preaching of the gospel! In a Greek, purely heathen world, people came to believe in a Lord who demanded from them a totally different attitude to life than was customary in their culture. As Reformed Christians in an increasingly heathen culture, we feel the burning question: Where did our brothers and sisters find their strength at that time? From the apostle Paul we hear that, in following Christ, Christians must be ready to suffer, just as Jesus tells us to take up our cross after him, as preachers of God’s Word in the congregation, as Christians in a heathen environment. Are we able to do that? Do we want to do that: to be living witnesses of the Lord, to walk the road he took?